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| carrobin |
 Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 4:14 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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| Last week's was the first one I'd seen. I'll try to pick up the pilot online. |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2016 2:13 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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| The opening of tonight's Saturday Night Live was brilliant. I had wondered what they were going to do now that Alec Baldwin has withdrawn his Trump impersonation. But there was Kate McKinnon at the piano--not exactly as Hillary, but unmistakably like her--playing and singing Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," the perfect song for the occasion. Very moving as a tribute both to Cohen and to Hillary's loss. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2016 12:24 pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6954
Location: Black Hills
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Saw part of that, with the sketch where the people in the apartment are watching election night on the tube and reacting. Dave Chapelle and Chris Rock were quite funny, reacting to the naivete of their companions.
RIP Gwen Ifill, a great news anchor and journalist. |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2016 1:47 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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bartist wrote: RIP Gwen Ifill, a great news anchor and journalist.
That was a shock--I had no idea she was so sick, and only 61. (I was surprised she was that old, actually.) I watched the PBS News tribute last night. A great lady indeed. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2016 7:28 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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Carol--So sorry you saw an episode of This Is Us before seeing the pilot. SPOILER FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T SEEN THE PILOT OR ANY OTHER EPISODES:
In the pilot, they show a bunch of people celebrating their birthdays on the same day. You think everything is happening in the present day. You don't realize until the final scene that the characters played by Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia are the parents of the characters played by Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz, and Justin Hartley and that Moore and Ventimiglia are living in 1980. It's a genuine mind-blower and a fantastic coup de theatre.
See the pilot anyway, though, Carol. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2016 11:28 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6954
Location: Black Hills
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| On a completely different level, darkness-wise, I saw the first episode of "Fargo" last night. Jeez, hon, that was even darker than the film. Not bad. Billy Bob is perfect as the sociopath who comes to Bemidji and stirs up trouble. The MN accent is very tricky (it's pretty much the same accent we hear here from people who moved from the eastern half of SD, or MN). Most of them get the lilt right, but there's a trick with how you say the letter "d" at the end of a word that no one quite masters. It's a Scandinavian "d" and it doesn't resonate like an American "d." It stops so short, it's almost a "t." Oddly, Martin Freeman, a Brit, is the one who comes closest to nailing it. Not so oddly, really, given the British ear for accents generally. |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 12:34 pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
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Location: Black Hills
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| Finished first season of Fargo. Did anyone here catch this series? I like that each season will be self-contained, with a different lead cast, but am going to miss Alison Tollman who brought something original and appealing to her role - she's not a clone of the "Marge" in the film. Looks like Season 2 will be a prequel, set in 1979, and I guess we see how Lou Solverson got that limp. Key and Peele fans take note - they have a small, but very amusing, role, in the latter episodes of season 1. |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 7:50 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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Fargo is one of the truly great TV series. Unlike True Detective, which absolutely cratered in the second season after the brilliant first, Fargo actually maintained its quality in Season Two and some might say improved upon it. As great as was Alison Tolman in the first season, Kirsten Dunst was her equal in Season Two. I'm becoming a belated Dunstian what with Fargo, Hidden Figures, and Midnight Special showing three completely different sides of this endlessly inventive actor. She's a real chameleon. Thornton and Freeman in Season One of Fargo were fantastic, but so are Patrick Wilson (the younger version of the Keith Carradine character), Jesse Plemons, and Jean Smart in Season Two. Looking forward to Season Three with wild anticipation.
Now everyone, read my lips: SEE. "THIS. IS. US." |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2016 2:59 pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
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Location: Black Hills
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yambu wrote: PBS' Great Performances is putting forth four slick productions, made for TV, of Shakespeare's history plays: Richard II, Henry IV Pts 1&2, and Henry V. I was only able to catch part of the first one, and I can say two things - every setting is physically beautiful, and I had almost no trouble understanding the language.
The series is called The Hollow Crown, and Netflix already has it.
The settings are wondrous. We watched some of the 2nd series of this on PBS the past few weeks, this season devoted to The War of the Roses plays, concluding last night with Rich III, Mr. Cumberbatch in the title role. He does a fine job of creating a monster with wicked charm, teetering on an emotional edge every minute. Whole cast is outstanding and the Bard truly comes to life. It was great seeing the preceding Henry VI, pt. 1 and 2, which helps you make so much more sense out of Richard III, e.g. what's Margaret's problem. |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 12:47 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6954
Location: Black Hills
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| First "Sherlock" of the 4th series premier tonight. We are hooked. Almost anything commented upon could be a spoiler, so will just say it was outstanding. |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 11:30 pm |
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Site Admin
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12902
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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bartist wrote: yambu wrote: PBS' Great Performances is putting forth four slick productions, made for TV, of Shakespeare's history plays: Richard II, Henry IV Pts 1&2, and Henry V. I was only able to catch part of the first one, and I can say two things - every setting is physically beautiful, and I had almost no trouble understanding the language.
The series is called The Hollow Crown, and Netflix already has it.
The settings are wondrous. We watched some of the 2nd series of this on PBS the past few weeks, this season devoted to The War of the Roses plays, concluding last night with Rich III, Mr. Cumberbatch in the title role. He does a fine job of creating a monster with wicked charm, teetering on an emotional edge every minute. Whole cast is outstanding and the Bard truly comes to life. It was great seeing the preceding Henry VI, pt. 1 and 2, which helps you make so much more sense out of Richard III, e.g. what's Margaret's problem.
Did you have to suffer through the three parts of Henry VI? I've read just enough to learn to avoid them. Actually, Richard III isn't as good as its reputation, though the opening speech and the climax are great. They're all early works, while Richard II, the Henry IV plays, and Henry V are Shakespeare near his best.
Although Richard III at least is a dynamic figure, while Richard II sort of gives up (eloquently) and feels sorry for himself. |
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I had a love and my love was true but I lost my love to the yabba dabba doo, --The Flintstone Lament |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 1:12 pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6954
Location: Black Hills
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Henry 6 was condensed by the Hollow Crown producers into just 2 parts, both I'm sure heavily edited, and the cast was so good we barely suffered at all.
The scene I really like in R3 is what I call the Ultimate Chutzpah scene, where he woos and somehow charms, the widow whose husband he had murdered, even as he is acknowledging his culpability. This version really plays it for its comic potential, and it works. |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 11:14 pm |
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Site Admin
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12902
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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Had a pleasant time watching the season premieres of Bones and Grimm tonight, with a wistful feeling because this is the final season for both.
I only made it a few minutes into the "Oz" series. Probably should give it more of a chance, but it looked like every choice that was made into producing the show went wrong. Although it's Tarsem Singh, who is not like other directors, so who knows? |
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I had a love and my love was true but I lost my love to the yabba dabba doo, --The Flintstone Lament |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2017 11:30 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6954
Location: Black Hills
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| Singh has visual flair (cf. The Cell, The Fall) but I wasn't held by Emerald City, partly due to Vincent D'Onofrio being a snooze factor for me. No doubt the lovely Latina Dorothy will have many young fans smitten. There were various subplots they tried to develop which just didn't generate much spark IMO. |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2017 6:54 pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6954
Location: Black Hills
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| Queen Vic on pbs tonight. We are amused. |
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